Welcome friend

What follows is our Culture Playbook. It’s a way to welcome you into the MobileLife house by providing you with a field guide to the chaos, camaraderie, and adventure that awaits within.

We will, in part, tell you what we do here, but the bigger takeaway from this document will be why we do it.
You have already gone through the interview process or are about to, you’ve come to the right place to find out if MobileLife is the right place for you.

In the beginning

We ask that you let go of everything you believe about banking. We want to take you along on our journey but in order for that to work you have to take the pill. You have to believe what we are seeing.

After so many shake-ups — the financial crisis of 2008, the dominance of the smart phones over the human species — business never returned to usual. And neither did Danske Bank.

Absolutes dissolved. Apples became oranges. And for a bank whose entire profit model is built on managing risk this is scary business. The only thing the Danske Bank knew with any certainty was that uncertainty would be a big part of their future. So they asked us, a small cadre of developers working within Danske Bank, to embrace it.

To meet the challenges of this new uncertainty we formed an innovation hub called MobileLife within the ranks of Danske Bank. Our mission here has been to push the boundaries of what a bank normally does, and to do so by answering demands for more control and more intuitive products.

Us MobileLifers believe we can continually define new ways to work while offering innovative banking solutions designed to have a meaningful impact on people’s lives. And that a culture of innovation can thrive within Danske Bank because, by taking advantage of the backing and stability of an established financial institution, we can afford to take bigger risks.

Who are these people?

We at MobileLife are a lot like you. We ask terrific questions that inspire each other. We’re nice, like you, and open-minded, we are also likely to be some of the most collaborative colleagues you could hope for.

And all of this, of course, is by design. Because when challenges are too big for one person to solve alone, collaboration is key to success. But there is one reason why you, above all other candidates, have been invited to take part in the experiment that is MobileLife. You deliver. You can delve into the unknowable and come back with a working prototype. You can help us ship the products that make our customers prosperous and happy. In fact this is the one thing we are absolutely certain of. That you, like us, will work tirelessly to this end.

Why are you so important?

Because you ask questions. Though it’s customary to act like you know what you are doing, especially at a new job, it’s okay to drop your guard here. We want to know what you don’t know.

We’ve have created new business solutions within existing frameworks, and we’ve created new frameworks for established businesses. We’ve found solutions to challenges within Danske Bank, and we’ve found inspiration from successful concepts far removed from banking. And we’ve done all this by asking questions.

How to ask questions

Not hiring know-it-alls has been our winning strategy from day one. If our purpose is to find solutions to problems that don’t exist yet, then we need to recruit the kind of thinking that thrives on uncertainty.

The kind of person who challenges the things that don’t make sense, even on your first day. But is cool about it. Being cool to people is a big thing around here. It fosters a culture of trust and creates an atmosphere where colleagues feel safe sharing their fledgling thoughts. So if you see someone working on a project that you want to know more about, be cool, ask them their name and if they’d like a coffee. People like it when you know their name and offer to help.

Step inside our circle of trust

First, always assume that your colleague has good intentions. If you are still uncertain why they may have made a particular decision, just ask, and like we said, be cool about it. A good question will get everyone thinking. And while it’s important to deliver, we can only find those breakthrough ideas by creating an environment where we trust our colleagues enough to fail in front of them.

Disrupt but don't disturb

We have a fantastic espresso machine so share a latte with your new friend by pulling up a seat next to theirs.

We don’t have assigned desks so you are free to sit wherever you please. But if you should ever feel that in that particular moment you may be disrupting someone’s work flow let them know you don’t take offense.

While disruptive ideas are only 5% of what we do, 15% is innovating, and a whopping 80% is solid execution. That is what enables us to work fast and to deliver great results. When you say ‘yes’ to working in MobileLife this is a reality you need to consider. We are here as a part of Danske Bank to push development forward, but we will not push anything without shipping the product. Remember your output is the heart and soul of what we do. And what is it that we do? We ask a lot of questions.

Whether it's your first day or your 101st remember...

We expect you to ask questions.
We invite you to grab any desk
We like you

Answers lead to new questions

Breaking new ground is never going to be easy.

People mock you when you fail. And when you do succeed you don’t have time to celebrate because finding answers always creates more questions. To support one another as we endeavor into uncertainty MobilLife seeks to provide an inspirational and productive environment, where you will grow with new challenges by working with highly-skilled teammates who bring a diverse set of proficiencies to each project.

Shout outs to new comers!

To Developers, you are the heart and soul of what we do. Front-enders as and back-enders alike are invited into the process of creating the concepts that we work on.

To Designers and UX:ers, we apply your conceptual thinking in creating world class digital services, where customers always come first, and solutions are driven by understanding user needs and customer ecosystems. You will bring the digital journey of our customers to another level.

To Analysts, we would not be worth a dime, if it was not for your department enabling us to know what products we can afford to offer, and giving marketing something to talk about.

To Process people, we forge concrete products from uncertainty, only because you are there to provide an implementable structure when we need it most. You are our backbone.

To Agile Coaches, we like the notion of perpetual beta, and that software should be developed with a continuous loop of customer needs going in and ‘good enough’ software coming out.

To HR people, you are the hearts and smiles of our organization. We feel embraced by the warmth of the people working with human relations, talent recruitment and process development - and at MobileLife we take a strategic and operational approach to organization and culture.

To Product Owners, you are a project's key stakeholder. You hold the vision of what we are going to build, and you convey that vision to your team with energy and passion. You understand users, the market place, the competition and future trends.

To Strategy people, we always build things on a foundation of strategic thinking and direction. Your understanding of business and processes is key to creating value.

To Marketing people, just make something worth noticing. Not average - only great.

To Everyone else, if you feel that you can add something we did not yet think of.... Feel free to reach out!

And remember, uncertainty is at the heart of everything worthwhile. For every chance there is to fail, there is a chance to make a change.

We would like to invite you to take a chance with us and so we welcome you, one-and-all, to our world of uncertainty!